“I don't use AI”
You can choose not to open ChatGPT. You can avoid AI assistants and hyped products marketed as AI. Those are great choices.
Saying no works for the AI you have to open, like a chatbot. But if you carry a smartphone, shop online, watch TV, drive a recent car or do countless other everyday things, you already use AI all day, every day. It's also in payment networks, social media and public infrastructure. Most of these systems work quietly in the background.
They are not all equally concerning.
Some protect you or save you time:
Others learn about you from what you do:
That second kind is usually what people worry about. It's also the kind you have the least say in.
I am writing neither for nor against the AI in your everyday life. I want you to see where it already is and form an informed opinion about it.
No examples match those filters. Reset to see all of them.
Select one or more to see how AI was a part of it
Face ID creates and compares a mathematical representation of your face while keeping the biometric data on your device.
What Apple states: “mathematical representations of your face” (opens in a new window).
Published May 7, 2024. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Depending on your settings and request, Siri can send information including your device location to Apple to answer you.
What Apple states: “location of your device...will be sent to Apple” (opens in a new window).
We don't have a date on file for this one. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Apple uses on-device machine learning to detect possible nudity without sending the photo or video to Apple.
What Apple states: “uses on-device machine learning” (opens in a new window).
Published Mar. 24, 2026. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
iPhone autocorrect uses an on-device transformer language model to predict words and improve corrections as you type.
What Apple states: “on-device machine learning language model” (opens in a new window).
Published Jun. 5, 2023. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Apple uses on-device machine learning to suggest journal moments from information such as your photos, people, places and workouts.
What Apple states: “photos, people, places, workouts, and more” (opens in a new window).
Published Jun. 5, 2023. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Personalized Volume uses machine learning to learn your listening preferences and surrounding conditions over time.
What Apple states: “listening preferences over time” (opens in a new window).
Published Jun. 5, 2023. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Apple Watch uses machine-learning models and accelerometer signals to estimate REM, Core and Deep sleep.
What Apple states: “machine learning models were trained and validated” (opens in a new window).
Published Jun. 6, 2022. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Photos uses on-device machine learning to identify people, pets, scenes and other details in your personal library.
What Apple states: “Photos uses on-device machine learning” (opens in a new window).
We don't have a date on file for this one. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
With Face Groups enabled, Google creates numerical face models to determine whether different photos show the same person.
What Google states: “create face models” (opens in a new window).
We don't have a date on file for this one. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Google uses AI systems including neural matching and RankBrain to understand your query and decide which results are relevant.
What Google states: “Neural matching is an AI system” (opens in a new window).
We don't have a date on file for this one. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Gmail uses machine learning and user feedback to learn spam patterns and decide what belongs in your inbox.
What Google states: “machine learning powered by user feedback” (opens in a new window).
Published May 27, 2022. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Maps combines historical traffic with live conditions, including aggregate location data from drivers, and uses machine learning to predict traffic and routes.
What Google states: “using machine learning to generate predictions” (opens in a new window).
Published Sep. 3, 2020. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Flock license-plate readers use AI to turn vehicle images into searchable records containing make, model, color, location and time.
What Flock states: “convert them into searchable data” (opens in a new window).
We don't have a date on file for this one. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Uber uses machine learning behind ETAs, trip prices, rider-driver matching, routing and fraud detection.
What Uber states: “virtually every interaction...involves ML” (opens in a new window).
Published May 2, 2024. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Machine learning helps rank the Uber Eats home feed and determine what restaurants or items appear.
What Uber states: “Eats homefeed ranking” (opens in a new window).
Published May 2, 2024. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
The posts in your Facebook Feed are selected and ranked by an AI system.
What Meta states: “selected, ranked and delivered...by an artificial intelligence” (opens in a new window).
Published Jun. 24, 2026. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Instagram Feed is also selected and ranked by an AI system based on signals used to predict relevance.
What Meta states: “selected, ranked and delivered...by an artificial intelligence” (opens in a new window).
Published Jun. 29, 2026. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
TikTok’s For You system learns from what you watch, like, share, comment on and search for.
What TikTok states: “content you watch, like or share” (opens in a new window).
Published Dec. 20, 2022. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Walmart trains machine-learning models using signals including past sales, online searches and page views to forecast demand.
What Walmart states: “past sales...online searches and page views” (opens in a new window).
Published Oct. 25, 2023. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Target uses an AI recommendation engine to decide which personalized promotions are most effective for individual shoppers.
What Target states: “personalization at a guest level” (opens in a new window).
Published Jul. 10, 2024. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Amazon recommendation algorithms use recent purchase history to predict other products you may want.
What Amazon states: “recent purchase history” (opens in a new window).
Published Nov. 22, 2019. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
DoorDash uses machine learning to let past restaurant orders influence grocery recommendations, such as inferring dietary preferences.
What DoorDash states: “restaurant order histories to inform grocery recommendations” (opens in a new window).
Published Dec. 12, 2023. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Visa’s AI fraud models analyze spending behavior along with device, location, merchant and transaction signals for suspicious activity.
What Visa states: “Spending habits and transaction context” (opens in a new window).
Published Feb. 9, 2026. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Your searches, listens, skips and saves help create a “taste profile” used by Spotify’s recommendation algorithms.
What Spotify states: “your ‘taste profile’” (opens in a new window).
Published Mar. 12, 2026. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
Netflix uses specialized machine-learned models to personalize what it recommends to each member.
What Netflix states: “specialized machine learned models” (opens in a new window).
Published Mar. 21, 2025. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
YouTube recommendations learn from signals including clicks, watch time, shares, likes and dislikes.
What YouTube states: “clicks, watchtime...shares, likes, and dislikes” (opens in a new window).
Published Sep. 15, 2021. Verified Aug. 18, 2026.
A system recognizing your face entirely on your phone presents a different trade-off from an app that has learned from years of what you watch. Fraud detection is different from ad targeting. A camera used for public safety raises different questions from software organizing your personal photos.
Every convenience
is a trade
Each one takes something from you, like your face, your location or your viewing history, and gives you something back, like speed, security or a better recommendation. For any one of them, these questions tell you more than the label “uses AI” does:
All of this changes what it means to “opt out” of AI. The AI you choose to open, like a chatbot, is the easiest to refuse. Much of the rest is already part of everyday technology.
You still have some agency over where AI fits in your life, and that agency is easier to use once you know where to look.
Bottom line: you've already opted in.
The same question applies to your business: what AI already touches, what it could take off your plate and what you would rather keep out of it.
I help owners sort that out without the hype. If you want a second opinion, a 30‑minute conversation is a good place to start.
